As I have been preparing for installation this fall, I detected several facets of our system that could be presented in a better fashion. There was nothing wrong, mind you, but I am of the opinion that we should put our players in the VERY BEST position to be successful. I know it is late in the year for many school teams to make changes, but my particular situation allows for this.

Every aspect of the offense, from snap count to signals to protection route technique was examined. Some of the key points discovered were:

1. It is easier to protect the passer from the pocket. Multiple launch points used to be all the craze as I was coming up in a pro style system, and a widely accepted idea in conventional football wisdom. However, much of this thought process was developed before the propagation of spread formations as a base operating system. With defenders now stretched across the width of the entire field, and the edge pressures/ zone blitzes becoming the norm, the traditional sprint-out actions can prove to be futile. A properly trained passer is in a more advantageous position to hit the weakness of a pressure defense, and protection schemes are given more reps, resulting in better execution.

2. RUN/PASS OPTIONS (RPOs) can take the place of many play action systems. RPOs have built in answers to pressure - something hard run action play action schemes lack. With the decision to protect the pocket, along with screens and RPO plays eliminate a lot of unnecessary practice minutes.

3. ACTS works! We win practice repetitions back for things that are really important to the offense, like ADVANTAGE routes and principles, such 7 route:

...and CONCEPTS with moving parts. Here, we are working SEAM READs vs 1 -high Safety. Note the coaching points, such as eye on the advantage before hitching to the concept, can be taught to youth players. Drops mechanics have been adjusted of course to account for physical development, but sound teaching is sound teaching -- regardless of level of competition.